The market for computing power for artificial intelligence continues to surprise with the scale of deals. Anthropic, the developer of the popular AI assistant Claude, has offered Meta the opportunity to lease its computing resources for up to $10 billion. This two-year agreement, initiated in June, is currently under review. The format involves monthly payments with an early exit option for both parties, although final terms have not yet been agreed upon.
For Meta, this represents a potential new source of revenue beyond its traditional advertising model. The company, which itself actively leases capacity from providers such as CoreWeave ($21 billion in April) and Nebius ($27 billion in March), could become a direct competitor in this market. Notably, Meta is already strengthening its cloud team, with former Amazon Web Services top executive Dave Brown joining the company.
Investment Challenge and Strategic Shift
Investors are increasingly criticizing Meta for its massive spending on AI infrastructure. The company's capital expenditures could reach $145 billion in 2026 — double last year's $72 billion. Selling excess capacity could not only justify these investments but also turn them into a profitable business. Mark Zuckerberg himself acknowledged in May that external firms regularly express interest in purchasing equipment, although Meta has not yet sold any due to its own needs.
Demand for computing resources from Anthropic is growing amid the explosive popularity of the Claude Code tool. Previously, the startup entered into a similar deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX for $45 billion over three years, utilizing the Colossus 1 data center in Memphis. This confirms a key trend: supply shortages are forcing even direct competitors to negotiate with each other.
Expert Opinion from Cryptalist Analyst
From a market logic perspective, the deal between Anthropic and Meta appears to be a natural stage in the evolution of the AI industry. We are witnessing the formation of a new asset class — computing power is becoming as strategic a resource as oil or semiconductors. Companies that can monetize excess data centers will gain not only additional revenue but also leverage over the entire sector. For Meta, this is a chance to turn investor-criticized expenses into a competitive advantage, and for Anthropic, it ensures access to critical infrastructure amid severe shortages.